New successes, new criticism: gay pride evolving

Rainbow colours, imaginative costumes, music and hundreds of thousands of people on the streets: gay pride parades organised by the LGBT movement were held in many European cities on the past weekend. The press review presents voices from the events in Budapest, Madrid and the Polish pilgrimage site Częstochowa.

Pride has won the battle for the streets

Kettős Mérce is delighted that there were far fewer counter-demonstrators at this year's Budapest Pride parade than in the past:

“Clearly, the fact that 10,000 people demonstrated and there were only 120 counter-demonstrators doesn't mean that Hungarian society has accepted LGBT people. But it shows that a demonstration against homosexuals can no longer mobilise the people. It's become uninteresting. The battle over whether the demonstrators should be allowed to own the streets has been resolved. Budapest and Hungary's gay community has won this battle against the far right within a decade. ... It was hard work and ended with a victory.”

Catholics must be able to handle protest too

Twelve gay pride parades have taken place in Poland this year. For the first time there was a parade in Częstochowa, where the Black Madonna icon, the most important Catholic shrine in the country, is located - which is why the parade was not uncontroversial. Polityka comments:

“Let's be clear that the equality march in Częstochowa is not just about the rights of LGBT people to defend themselves against the aggression of so-called conservatives. It's also about showing that Catholicism must be able to withstand criticism and protest too. Whatever is sacred to you needn't be sacred to us, but you must respect our rights just like we respect yours.”

LGBT community unexpectedly intolerant

In Madrid the organisers of the Gay Pride parade didn't invite either the regional president or other conservatives of the People's Party to lead the march. Intolerance does not become the movement, El Mundo complains:

“The organisers of the Gay Pride parade in Madrid have exposed their ideological sectarianism. What should go down in history as a celebration of tolerance and coexistence has been tarnished by this decision. ... Intolerance has taken hold of a movement that arose from the spirit of those who until a few years ago lived on the fringes of society or denied their identity for fear of marginalisation.”